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The Future of Gig Work

Talent by Featured Contributor on 01/31/2022

[Today’s guest contribution was written by Tim Minahan, EVP Strategy and Chief Marketing Officer at Citrix.]

Hybrid work has opened the door to a new kind of “gig with benefits” that may upend the model. And that’s good news for Corporate America.

Workers are leaving jobs like never before, and it’s causing a shortage of talent that has companies around the globe reeling. According to a recent survey conducted by Citrix, 40 percent of 1,000 knowledge workers in the US have left at least one job in the past year or are considering doing so. It’s been dubbed “The Great Resignation.” But it’s really “The Great Transformation.”

Contrary to what’s being reported, workers aren’t bailing for traditional reasons like more money or a better title. The majority are jumping ship for jobs that give them the freedom to do meaningful work from the location of their choice and provide equal opportunities to contribute and advance their careers. As revealed by the Citrix survey:

Money isn’t Everything

Make no mistake: salary and benefits are important. But they aren’t what’s inspiring workers to seek new roles. Among those surveyed who have changed jobs in the last 12 months, more than half took a pay cut. And 60% joined startups and accepted equity in exchange for salary.

Flexibility is Key

Today’s workers want flexible arrangements that allow them to choose where they work best. An overwhelming 80% of respondents to the Citrix survey said it was “very” or “somewhat” important that they be able to “work from anywhere,” and 55% said they would take less money to do so.

Employee Experience has Never Mattered More

Modern employees want to engage in innovative work, be productive and make meaningful contributions to the business that are valued without interference from complex technology and processes. And they’re likely to move on if they can’t:

60% of workers have left jobs for positions that provide more opportunities to innovate and try new things.
38% bolted because they were not engaged in or passionate about their former role.
31% were frustrated by overly complicated technology and processes.
47% believe they can do more meaningful work in their new roles, and;
13% saw it as a way to inject certainty into their future and regain some of the control they’ve lost during the pandemic.

If all of this sounds familiar, it should. In 2009, a similar exit took place as workers across the knowledge economy began pursuing consulting and freelance work, creating the so-called “Gig Economy.” They left for many of the same reasons workers are moving on today. But the stage is set to bring them back.

In addition to why workers leave, the Citrix survey sought to understand what makes them stay. And it found:

41% feel their benefits are competitive and beyond financial security, provide for their physical and mental well being.
40% can work flexibly.
27% are afraid to make a change given the ongoing uncertainty.
12% will lose stock options or a retirement plan if they leave.

All of this bodes well for Corporate America.

In embracing hybrid models for work and digital technologies that empower people to work when, where and how they choose, companies can create a new class of “gigs with benefits” that provide the flexibility and autonomy that freelance, contract and gig workers crave along with the stability that has become increasingly attractive as the pandemic wears on.

And in doing so, they may lure back some valuable talent with the skills to keep business going and growing.

Creating the Space to Succeed

With the right digital workspace solutions, companies can remove the friction from work that frustrates and slows employees down. And this is critical, because when employees feel empowered by the solutions they use rather than hamstrung by them, they can focus, innovate and deliver value.

Narrowing the Digital Divide

They can also narrow the new digital divide that hybrid models threaten to open by creating an equitable environment in which employees can engage and collaborate in a transparent and efficient way regardless of where they are located.

Whether at home, in the office or on the road, digital workspaces provide employees with consistent, secure and reliable access to all of the apps and information they need to perform at their best.

Winning the Battle for Talent

The balance of power has shifted. Employees are no longer demanding flexible jobs that allow them to innovate and move forward, they’re commanding them.

To remain vibrant in one of the tightest labor markets the world has ever seen, companies need to come to grips with this and get on board with the new, flexible work models that will drive the Future of Work and leverage them to cultivate a workforce that is flexible, agile, and empowered to adapt to changing conditions and move their business forward.

Tim Minahan is the executive vice president, business strategy and chief marketing officer at Citrix, a leading provider of digital workspace solutions.

FOWX Notes: January 28 Edition

General Insights by Christopher J. Dwyer on 01/28/2022

Some picked-up pieces, news, and insights from across the evolving world of talent and work:

On Tuesday, the Biden administration withdrew its vaccination and testing regulations for large employers. The Supreme Court’s rejection earlier this month forced the President’s hand here. While vaccination mandates would have helped the United States gradually tick up immunity, especially in the age of Omicron, now it is solely up to large enterprises themselves to keep or introduce vaccination and testing mandates as the winter months drag by.
Although talk of “COVID endemicity” is absolutely premature, it is critical for businesses to look at a brighter, more hopeful future. Epidemiologists and pundits alike were both quick to talk COVID as an eventual endemic disease and strike the discussion down given the consistent curveballs the novel coronavirus has thrown at us over the past two years. However, the power of optimism is critical, especially today, when so many businesses and professionals are stricken with various forms of fatigue. It is imperative that companies look ahead, even to this coming spring and summer, to boost optimism that better days are ahead and to “open” innovative thinking and product development.
An exciting new European labor market report by PRO Unlimited finds some interesting trends. PRO’s new Labor Market Report for Europe finds that IT skillsets are in-demand, time-to-fill rates are climbing high, and that American trends are similar across the world. In its Belgium-specific analysis, for example, the report found that “sourcing these individuals [sales, IT, business development, etc.] over the last three quarters has proven more difficult than in recent years, with the average time to fill increasing from 15 days in 2020 up to 23 days in 2021. This is a result of an increase in international talent acquisition in the contingent space, which has coincided with the greater interest in remote work.”
With so much discussion around the pros and cons of remote and hybrid work, it’s refreshing to see innovative companies thriving within this model. Great article at CNN proves that forward-thinking organizations that were once vehemently anti-remote work are now fully-remote, with leaders at these organizations stating that employees have never been more satisfied nor more productive. “The shift to remote work over the course of the pandemic has had a noticeable effect, said Cindy Owyoung, vice president of inclusion, equity and belonging at Robinhood. “Over time, it became increasingly clear that our employees were happiest and did their best work when they had the flexibility to determine where and when they work best,” Owyoung said.”

The Remote Worker Burnout Epidemic…And Why Too Many Professionals Can’t “Unplug”

Business Leadership by Christopher J. Dwyer on 01/25/2022

Flexibility is at the very core of the newfound “Talent Revolution” you’ve been hearing so much about recently. Sure, it’s being called “The Great Resignation,” but we all know that the underlying foundation of the so-called “Big Quit” is that the workforce has collectively decided “Enough!” and have been angling for better benefits, safer workplace conditions, and, most importantly, the flexibility they require to live their lives effectively with a solid semblance of work-life integration.

The Future of Work Exchange has covered this attribute of our industry quite frequently, and we truly believe that until business leaders come to the conclusion that these facets of work truly matter to their talent, The Great Resignation will become “The Great Stalemate” and we’re going to see millions more workers voluntarily leave their jobs over the early months of 2022.

For remote workers, the very concept of flexibility is a core aspect that’s baked into their everyday roles. Some professionals have been work-at-home staples for years and years, while others have just recently become part of this crowd when the pandemic hit. No matter the maturity of the remote-working professional, there seems to be an epidemic occurring that is oft-overlooked when discussing the age-old (and now, much-too-prevalent) issue of “burnout”: the inability to “unplug” both laptops and minds.

For years, I’ve kept a running diary of Future of Work-related ideas in the “Notes” app on my iPhone, which is always nestled and charging on my nightstand. If I’m awake at 3:30am and an idea strikes me, boom, it’s jotted down and revisited some time the day after. There are evenings when the glow of my laptop fills my home office at 1am, with some music playing in the background (lately, I’ve been obsessing over both Black Map and the Magna Carta Cartel), and pages and pages ahead of me to fill.

For most days (and nights!), my brain can’t be “turned off,” which, in turn, means my laptop is also not turned off. Employee burnout occurs when professionals clock more hours than they should because of a variety of reasons (one today being staff shortages), when they are tasked with the work of multiple individuals and have to handle it solo, or, when they toil as an entrepreneur running their own business (or, working for a small business and wearing “multiple hats”). The list goes on, but the Future of Work Exchange has frequently made the call for business leaders to not ignore employee burnout.

Many individuals may consider remote work a way to avoid burnout, however, the exact opposite is true: it’s happening at a scale that is similar in size and impact to traditional worker burnout. Remote workers may feel that their leaders expect them to be available both in and outside of typical work hours, while others could “condense” work on a particular project by burning through 12-hour (more more) workdays. There’s also a long-unfortunate reality that many professionals that work remotely feel mistrusted by their bosses since the in-person factor isn’t there for check-ins and similar meetings.

With a pandemic still raging and the Omicron variant keeping caseloads at near-triple what they were in early 2021 at their worst, the remote workforce has the added anxiety and stress of dealing with homeward disruptions (sick teachers and children causing school or daycare interruptions, etc.) on top of an added workload within their roles. The fact is this: right now, in the early days of 2022, remote worker burnout is a very real and very catastrophic epidemic that is not getting the attention it warrants.

Working remotely, whether it’s a full-time setup or part of a hybrid work infrastructure, is a flexible benefit that has both aided productivity and contributed to enhanced workplace safety controls. However, two years into this health crisis, and the sheer volume (over 42% of all workers, according to Future of Work Exchange research, nearly double what it was pre-pandemic) of remote workers translates into burnout and stress becoming unfortunate realities for these types of positions.

To curb remote worker burnout, business leaders must take into account the following strategies:

Encourage remote workers to take time for themselves for exercise and overall wellness. We’ve seen Zoom happy hours and Friday afternoon cocktail sessions so remote workers can take part in workplace activities that don’t involve shop-talk. While these are a fantastic idea, there needs to be more support for these professionals outside of the office. Some remote workers feel guilty if they take 45 minutes during the workday to hop on their Pelaton or take the dog for a long walk; the reality is, however, that business leaders and managers should be encouraging remote staff to incorporate exercise and similar activities into their daily routines. Top-down encouragement is the key here to make remote workers feel more comfortable about leveraging exercise during the workday. (This “time” doesn’t have to necessarily revolve around exercise; merely encouraging workers to take periodic breaks away from their laptops is incredibly beneficial.)
Provide remote workers with the necessary tools, guidance, and services for mental health support. This is an area that traverses beyond mere support from immediate leaders and managers and into providing remote workers with the actual digital tools, human-led services, and other offerings. Telehealth psychiatry support is incredibly beneficial for remote workers that are in need of virtual talk therapy, especially in the time of COVID; too, with so much personal stress and anxiety on top of typical work-related issues (which, of course, are bringing on burnout), it is imperative that leaders actively communicate the availability of mental health services and loop these offerings into existing healthcare plans.
Enhance access to digital workspaces (and communicate the operational merits of such technology). Citrix’s CMO, Tim Minahan, recently wrote on the Future of Work Exchange that businesses can fuel innovation through remote and hybrid work. This could not be more true, as organizations that tap into the power of unified communications and digital workspaces can effectively drive collaboration, product development, and improve innovative ideation across the greater business. Remote workers required on-demand and digital tools that can not only help them get work done, but also communicate with leaders and colleagues in an efficient manner. A crucial component of remote worker burnout is having to experience less-than-ideal systems access, lack of communication with team members, and outdated technology.

There are many other factors that business leaders can leverage to reduce remote worker burnout, including extending more frequent encouragement over tasks performed well (“thank you”s go a long way!), subsidizing digital wellness programs (such as Pelaton’s monthly membership), and providing additional “mental health” days that fall outside of traditional paid time off.

The Four Things that Will Determine the Future of “The Great Resignation”

Business Leadership Talent by Christopher J. Dwyer on 01/17/2022

By now, you’ve heard the phrases. “The Big Quit.” “The Great Resignation.” “The Great Reassessment.” Around these parts, we’ve typically referred to the massive, massive numbers of workers voluntarily leaving their jobs as a “talent revolution” unlike anything businesses have ever experienced before. Calling this a “revolution” rather than attributing the volatile labor market solely to a continuously-raging pandemic is selling short so many aspects of what today’s workforce truly wants, needs, and, most importantly, deserves.

In December alone, 4.5 million workers resigned from their positions. In September of last year, it was 4.4 million. October and November’s stats were just as eye-opening. For nearly the past year, the Department of Labor has constantly been breaking its own records for the “highest number of resignations in a single month,” with May 2021 serving as the first solid month of The Great Resignation.

Halfway through the first month of 2022, the expectation is that January will topple those December 2021 figures, adding to an already-volatile labor market that is consistently disrupted by yet another coronavirus variant, uncertainty regarding vaccine mandates, and other market-shifting dynamics that are proving to turn 2022 into yet another transformational year for the world of talent and work.

While I’m a bigger fan of the phrase “talent revolution” in lieu of “The Great Resignation,” the facts don’t lie: tens of millions of workers have left their roles over the past nine months and there are too many reasons why to list out in a single article on the Future of Work Exchange. The focus should be on solving this, not merely talking about how disruptive it is (although this is certainly a gigantic pain to hiring managers, HR execs, and talent acquisition leaders that are absolutely struggling to fill positions, especially in certain industries).

That being said, here are three things that could determine the future of The Great Resignation:

The Omicron variant’s peak hitting rural America, the South, and pieces of both the Midwest and the West Coast. There are optimistic signs that Omicron is peaking in the Northeast (where I call home in Boston), New York, Washington D.C., etc. Many of the jobs quit over the past year have been in industries that have shouldered the brunt of the pandemic’s worst, whether it’s in retail, healthcare, hospitality, etc. These are positions that are not, unfortunately, prone to flexibility, safer worker conditions, and competitive compensation. The constant rollercoaster effect of the pandemic’s surges and waves have meant that workers cannot appropriately support remote learning when it was the only option, cannot work due to a lack of daycare, and are often forced into working conditions that aren’t equipped with the best PPE or vaccine and mask mandates. If Omicron is truly as mild as scientists indicate, and if this is the last stop on the road to endemicity, then the regions that aren’t peaking with Omicron will soon, and that could mean (given the speed at which this variant’s cases cause and respectively fall) that, by the spring months, the country will be in a much, much better place than it is now for public health and safety.
Business leaders finally realizing that aspects such as empathy, culture, and flexibility aren’t just “nice-to-have” elements. We’ve covered it here before on the Future of Work Exchange; some well-known business leaders touting their dismissal of remote and hybrid work, and only revealing that they have no clue that, of course, business culture evolves. Major labor market shifts (in pre-pandemic times) were because of economical and financial reasons; although huge increases in unemployment would certainly cause personal distress, the major difference over the past two years is that workers were faced with uncertainty, anxiety, and stress at both the professional and personal levels. Thus, workers require some level of emotional support as well as an optimistic, positive, and inclusive workplace culture. The “flexibility” problem is simple: bake remote and hybrid work into the very fabric of every position that can support it (and make these flexibility-driven changes permanent!).
Inflation becoming too much of a financial burden. The inflation problem is real. Everything from cars to diapers to produce are several percentage points more expensive now than there were just a couple of years ago. For some individuals, this may not be an issue, however, for many more, it’s incredibly disruptive. Many workers hit “pause” on their careers in the spirit of finding happiness, satisfaction, and prosperity. Those dreams are squashed very quickly when household necessities cost 5% or 10% more than they did a year or two ago. Look for more workers to find positions that may check several (but not all) of their ideal workplace boxes until the economy is less inflated than it is today.
Businesses that lead with innovative talent acquisition models, including direct sourcing and AI-driven talent analytics, will fare better than other organizations. Artificial intelligence-led decision-making. Hiring managers with access to vast data oceans. Automated referral campaigns and digital recruitment marketing. The power of “Direct Sourcing 2.0” strategies. These are all innovative approaches towards finding the best-fit candidates; as businesses begin to harness the power of advanced talent acquisition solutions, combined with the benefits of AI-fueled data and predictive analytics, they will create the ideal environment in which to find, engage, and source the best-fit talent when, where, and how it is needed most. Too, the value of the remote and hybrid work models and their impact on talent acquisition cannot be understated; there is an increase in the availability of remote positions, and with business leaders expanding roles to those across the globe (instead of just their backyard), they are opening new channels of talent that can work from anywhere.

COVID Endemicity and the Future of Digital Workspaces

Business Leadership by Christopher J. Dwyer on 01/13/2022

Last week, a crop of top scientific minds jointly encouraged the Biden administration to refocus pandemic efforts on “living with” the novel coronavirus instead of the “zero COVID” approaches that other nations, particularly China, have employed over the past two years. The goal here, as it seems, is to position COVID as one of several (including influenza and RSV) respiratory viruses that are endemic to humans on a seasonal basis (especially late fall and throughout the winter).

This strategy has become more tailored in the wake of the super-transmissible-but-less-severe Omicron variant, which is currently ripping through the population. By proxy of vaccination plus boosters and natural immunity, there should be, in theory, enough of a “wall” that we can return to what “normalcy” is in the months ahead.

From the business perspective, this means many things. The one I’d like to focus on, though, is return-to-office plans. Out of all the aspects that have been introduced and/or exacerbated by the pandemic, remote and hybrid work is at the very top of the list. And, when compared to an endemic COVID world, it would seem natural that more and more business leaders would leverage this status to get workers back into the office.

Here’s the thing, though: the digital workspace should no longer be considered an “alternative” option for how work is done, but rather another tool that drives true workforce agility.

The realm of remote and hybrid work today traverses beyond the mere discussion of “working from home” and into “how we get work done most effectively.” The hybrid workplace is no longer an avenue of telecommuting in order to stay safe and socially distance; while it will always be considered a way of enhancing COVID protocols during the most turbulent public health crisis of our lifetimes, the truth is that the lessons we’ve learned, along with the technology that has evolved over the past several years, has transformed the way hybrid work operates.

A few years ago, it was a simple option for workforce flexibility. Today, it’s the cornerstone of not only the digital enterprise, but the agile enterprise, as well. There are many reasons why hybrid work and pandemic should be decoupled, especially considering that a (hopeful) end to the crisis in finally starting to come to light.

Collaborative technology has evolved to the point where hybrid work is just as, if not more, productive than traditional setups. From the benefits of single-sign-on frameworks to the elimination of disruptions and barriers inherent in remote work, today’s digital workspace technology enable businesses with the necessary infrastructure to provide workers with a seamless UX that promotes productivity and the optimization of how work is done. “Micro-automation” enables workers to develop in-application solutions to enhance process workflows, while today’s digital workspace technology prioritize the protection and security of data and intellectual property.
One of the key benefits of hybrid work, flexibility, is a core reason why “The Great Resignation” is happening right now. Much of the analysis around the so-called “Big Quit” revolves around how well integrated flexibility is within a particular role or position…and sadly, there’s not much there for too many talented professionals across the globe. Even the most hardened executives are now realizing that flexibility in and of itself is a key benefit heralded by the “talent revolution” that is occurring today. Simply put: workers desire flexibility. Remote and hybrid work are the purest extensions of flexibility.
The generational aspects of the workforce trend towards workers that desire (and thrive!) in remote environments. Millennials are now considered the largest generation in the current workforce; although a lot has been written (and said) about the nuances of the millennial community, the truth is that a generation raised on technology will obviously crave technology and automation in the workplace. As digital workspaces become a standard means of work as COVID hits its endemic point, businesses will find that they will become a more alluring option for younger generations of the workforce.
Digital workspaces, and hybrid work in general, can enhance corporate culture and boost mental wellbeing. Limited time in the office can actually be a boon for collaboration; if workers know that they are in the office a single day each week, they will spend that time coordinating with colleagues and maximizing proximity collaboration. As such, this can be an enhancement to corporate culture in the months ahead, driving happier and more productive business outcomes. The Future of Work Exchange has highlighted the criticality of mental wellbeing in the workplace; the flexibility of digital workspaces provide workers with the ability to be more adaptable to their tasks, take the time they need to refocus, and, most importantly, build a better work-life integration.

Fueling Innovation Through Hybrid Work

Business Leadership Technology and Innovation by Featured Contributor on 01/10/2022

[Today’s guest contribution was written by Tim Minahan, EVP Strategy and Chief Marketing Officer at Citrix.]

Given the flexibility and tools to work when, where and how they choose, employees can deliver transformative ideas and results.

The shift to remote work may have been sparked by a public health emergency, but the same technologies that unlocked new ways to ideate and collaborate out of necessity have given rise to some surprising benefits.

Video meetings put every face in the same-sized box, regardless of seniority. Virtual communication tools gave introverts more opportunities to be heard. Neurodiverse and disabled employees, for whom office work might have introduced anxiety or physical challenges, suddenly could participate on their own terms. And all of this has opened the door to greater innovation.

According to “The Era of Hyper-Innovation,” 93 percent of business leaders say that increased digital collaboration has amplified more diverse voices, resulting in richer idea generation. And as hybrid work becomes the norm, the vast majority expect enhanced equity and collaboration to continue and fuel an era of hyper-innovation.

To capitalize on this, leaders will need to abandon some long-held perceptions and think outside the box when it comes to where and how work gets done.

Believing Doesn’t Mean Seeing

Proximity bias, or the tendency to favor those who are seen most often, is one of the greatest obstacles to equity and innovation in the hybrid workplace. It’s nothing new. Research shows that prior to the pandemic, employees sitting closer to leaders may have enjoyed more opportunities for advancement. And according to a study out of Stanford, many managers still see in-person employees as harder workers and higher performers, and grant them more promotions, bonuses, and other opportunities.

But proximity bias doesn’t have to persist. With the right technologies and work policies to support them, it can be overcome. Among the actions leaders can take:

Ensure in-person and remote employees get equal time with managers. Whether meetings with employees are planned or ad-hoc, keep track of them, and create a system to ensure each group is getting equal attention.
Develop objective performance metrics rooted in outcomes, not visibility. This will help reduce the power of proximity bias when evaluating employees for assignments, promotions, and bonuses.
Facilitate bonding experiences that everyone can participate in.Talk with employees to figure out how they want to build stronger relationships with co-workers. Consider creating virtual “break rooms” where employees can drop in for a water cooler chat. Or work with employees to form virtual interest groups or clubs.

Technology Should Liberate, Not Frustrate

To harness the innovative potential of distributed employees, organizations need to adopt solutions that remove the frustration from work and enable them to collaborate with their peers easily and effectively, whether they are working from home, in the office, on the road, or anywhere in between.

Go digital. Digitize all documentation and workflows to ensure equitable, impactful collaboration. Moving to a cloud-based digital workspace solution that serves as a unified hub for collaboration can help with this process.
Establish guidelines to support equitable use. If one employee is remote, consider running the entire meeting virtually to create a more level playing field for participation.
Conduct an IT audit to compare the remote and in-person experience. Using surveys, focus groups, and IT tickets, identify gaps. Then, make an action plan to close them.
Invest in tools that allow for synchronous and asynchronous collaboration. Synchronous collaboration tools, like Zoom or Teams, are important. But equally important for innovation are tools that enable employees to do solo deep work or contribute to the team on their own time, wherever they may be. Provide for both.

Beware the Digital Divide

Business leaders are optimistic about the potential of hybrid work to send innovation into hyperdrive, and with good reason. But the model is not without risk. If not carefully implemented, it has the potential to create a new digital divide that, left unchecked, could establish two classes of workers and infuse the workplace with inequity and bias.

To narrow the digital divide that hybrid work threatens to open, companies must implement technologies and work policies that provide for an equitable environment, in which both remote and in-office employees can equally engage and collaborate in a transparent and efficient way. A shared digital workspace, for instance, provides a common and transparent environment in which teams have consistent access to applications and information and can efficiently collaborate on projects to get work done, wherever it needs to get done.

Innovation isn’t an inevitable consequence of hybrid work. It stems from giving employees the space they need to do their best work, on their terms. Leaders that understand and adapt to accommodate this can foster such environments and help their employees – and ultimately, their companies – innovate and succeed.

Tim Minahan is the executive vice president, business strategy and chief marketing officer at Citrix, a leading provider of digital workspace solutions.

Six Big Future of Work Predictions for 2022

Business Leadership General Insights Uncategorized by Christopher J. Dwyer on 01/04/2022

It’s impossible to capture every single possibility for the Future of Work in a single article. What we can do, however, is pinpoint five of the biggest possibilities for work optimization in the year ahead.

Before the path to predictions start, I think it’s important to chat about some caveats here. We are in a much different place than we were a year ago at this time. So, in talking about the future of remote work, the year ahead isn’t going to revolve around whether or not it’s beneficial and viable (which, yes, IT IS!), but rather transforming non-traditional workplace environments into more effective and productive settings.

Without further ado:

Since we teased it above: the digital workplace and the digital workspace will converge. There’s a stark difference between the “digital workplace” and a “digital workspace.” Digitization, as part of broader digital transformation initiatives, has long entailed replacing core pieces of enterprise operations and processes with repeatable, scalable, and interconnected automation. The digital workspace, on the other hand, involves the enablement of truly digital, virtual, and automated access to productivity and collaborative tools for workers no matter where they are located (in the office, on the road, in their home offices, or at their kitchen tables).
The solution to the “Great Staffing Shortage” and “The Great Resignation” revolves around worker prosperity. The one thing that is maddening around the so-called “Big Quit” is that there are so many leaders around the world that cannot grasp the reality of why workers are leaving; on the surface, there are a variety of reasons that include equitable treatment, better compensation, better working conditions, more flexibility, etc. However, dig deeper and “worker enlightenment” shines: the workforce wants to prosper.
Data remains important, but intelligence becomes the gamechanger. In today’s talent tech ecosystems, there are several key platforms from which data flows freely: VMS, HRIS, extended workforce systems, direct sourcing platforms, and proprietary tech offered by MSP solutions. The candidate, FTE, non-employee, freelancer, and professional services data that can be extracted from these solutions presents businesses with an opportunity to derive true total intelligence and allow hiring managers to execute real-time decisions based on the depth of skillsets and expertise within the company’s total talent network. In an age when staffing shortages are the norm, a difference of just a day or two can have major ramifications on the success of a new project or initiative.
Culture becomes the most critical non-technological Future of Work attribute in the year ahead. Businesses have long been successful despite their culture; in 2022, the average enterprise will thrive because of their culture, not in spite of it. Empathetic leadership that converges with an inclusive workplace, environments that promote the power of the worker, and an overall positive, engaging candidate and worker experience are factors that will enable businesses to retain talent, drive talent attraction, and, most importantly, attain true talent sustainability.
The extended workforce continues to grow. This is a prediction that I’ve been making every year for the last dozen or so years, and, I don’t see it changing in 2022. The extended workforce is founded on agility and flexibility, consequently the two biggest areas of need for businesses as they traverse yet another pandemic-led year in which work and talent evolution is the norm. Closing in on half of the globe’s entire workforce, the extended workforce will become even more of a competitive differentiator in addition to the business continuity and “elasticity” that it drove over the past two years.
“Adaptation” molds the way businesses adopt, leverage, and scale innovation. I remember becoming a bit bored of the “digital transformation” discussions of a few years ago, with too many conversations around automating pieces of the business that should have been automated years and years ago. When the pandemic hit, enterprise technology took on a whole new meaning, one that unified the way businesses interacted with customers, suppliers, and their remote workforce, while also developing a culture of real business agility that could help the greater organization better adapt to changing times. Whether it’s core workforce management technology, blockchain-enabled operations, AI-fueled analytics and data analytics, or digital staffing, businesses in 2022 will find that the way they adapt to evolving times will dictate and shape the very ways the harness the power of innovation.

Forget About Resolutions…Let’s Optimize 2022

Business Leadership General Insights Talent by Christopher J. Dwyer on 01/03/2022

In the early evening hours of December 31, 2020, I gathered around a fire pit with my wife, children, and dear friends from around the neighborhood. When we made a toast, I said, “Good riddance, 2020.” The stress, the trauma, and the uncertainty of what was probably the most anxiety-inducing year of our lifetime was ending, and, on the horizon, a 2021 filled with hope and optimism.

Just a couple of months later, I stood in line in the upper concourse of Gillette Stadium (home of my beloved New England Patriots) and awaited the first of my (now) three jabs of the groundbreaking Moderna vaccine. To me, it wasn’t just a vaccine, but rather a representation of how we could collectively move forward from everything that pushed us to our emotional limits in the year that was 2020. Of course, we know what happened next:

The biggest vaccination campaign in our lifetime kicked off in early 2021 and provided the world with some measures of optimism entering the spring and summer months.
The Delta variant upended some (or most) of those “hot vax summer” plans and caused COVID cases to surge across the world.
Talented professionals began leaving their roles in droves, kicking off what is still referred to as “The Great Resignation,” although should now be considered “The Talent Revolution.”
More focus than ever before was placed on DE&I, empathy-driven business leadership, and the shift to remote and hybrid work.
Vaccine mandates became sources of political, business, and social disagreements.
Another coronavirus variant, Omicron, proved to be the most transmissible of all variants to date and is now responsible for hundreds of daily cases in the United States alone.

We’re about to enter the third full year of a global pandemic. We’re still dealing with large swaths of the workforce voluntarily resigning and leaving their jobs. We’re fighting a battle for equity and inclusion. We’re feeling the ramifications of extreme staffing shortages. We’re continuing to battle for true workplace and workforce flexibility. We’re continuing to feel, hear, and see the exhaustion in the essential workforce community. And we’re still experiencing (even at this point) blow-back to the benefits of remote and hybrid work.

All true. All true. However…

We have the most innovative tools ever designed to better manage talent and talent engagement. We know that empathy is the heart and soul of the best mode of business leadership. We understand what we need to do to solve staffing shortage issues. We have the ability to open our minds and hearts to do the right thing. We have the ability to build digital workplaces and digital workspaces. We know that a diverse talent community is the deepest talent community. We know that the extended workforce represents nearly half of all global talent for a very good reason. And we have access to solutions that can provide next-level, AI-fueled data to help us make better business decisions.

The phrase “work optimization” is frequently used in our industry (and here on the Future of Work Exchange) to describe the essential goals of the Future of Work movement: get work done in the most effective way(s) possible. And as the calendar flips to another year, I believe we should take those ideas a step further.

Let’s optimize 2022. Entirely.

That’s right…let’s optimize everything about the year ahead. Let’s look at our talent, how we acquire that talent, how we manage that talent, how we treat that talent, and optimize it all. Let’s optimize the use of technology and automation. Let’s review the ways we manage our staff and the benefits we offer them. Let’s take a long, hard look at just how truly diverse our workforce actually is. Let’s continue to lean on remote and hybrid workspaces to boost both safety and productivity. Let’s take that great leap and get closer to being a truly “digital enterprise.” Let’s rethink how technology aids talent engagement. Let’s enable our hiring managers, talent acquisition leaders, and other stakeholders with real-time, AI-fueled total talent intelligence that can revolutionize workforce decision-making.

Let’s focus on how we enable our workers to prosper. Let’s think about the human side of business and how we can improve the emotional connections between leadership and the workforce. Let’s prioritize employee wellbeing and mental health. Let’s take a new approach to enterprise operations and ensure we are embracing change, progression, and evolution.

Let’s make 2022 a time to thrive. Let’s optimize the year ahead and push the Future of Work movement into a new stratosphere.

What Does 2022 Hold for the Future of Work?

General Insights by Christopher J. Dwyer on 12/21/2021

Over the past several months, I’ve written extensively about the evolution of talent and work and what it means for the modern business. Today, we collect various thoughts, insights, and predictions from extended workforce, contingent workforce, digital staffing, direct sourcing, and HR technology leaders about the key trends that will shape the Future of Work in the year ahead:

Kevin Akeroyd, CEO, PRO Unlimited

The importance of data: “The future of external workforce management is data-driven. And as the world of work continues to evolve, talent becomes more geographically dispersed, and top talent becomes even more sought-after, “five-star” data has become critical to capitalizing on both worker quality and savings opportunities worldwide. In 2022 and beyond, we will see the increasing importance of quality data within non-employee workforce programs and how it can drive significant program benefits.”

Direct sourcing and leveraging your company’s brand: “In the new era of integrated workforce management and heightened competition for key talent, organizations are adopting new processes and enabling solutions – such as direct sourcing – to maximize talent, no matter when and how that talent is sourced/engaged or how it ends up being categorized and classified. Historically, talent acquisition teams have long relied on employer branding for permanent employee hiring, while not being fully aware of its power for the other half of the workforce (contingent). In contingent direct sourcing programs, leveraging employer brand is essential to maximizing talent acquisition effectiveness and, therefore, multiplying positive financial benefits. Given this, most enterprises should be taking steps toward adopting contingent direct sourcing to meet its non-employee program and organizational goals.”

The benefits of the integrated workforce platform: “More than ever, enterprises are finding they need to address a greater and more complex set of requirements to manage their expanding multi-category, multichannel, non-employee workforces, which poses new challenges and questions for organizations. For example, the number of technology and service solutions has been significantly increasing across established and new solution categories. It’s no longer just a program management office and a Vendor Management System (VMS), which presents enterprises with the challenge of choosing between a single vendor or multi-vendor approach. Leveraging an adaptable, scalable, and fully-integrated workforce management platform provider that offers an ecosystem of software, professional services, and total talent intelligence will be key to an organization’s success.”

Brian Hoffmeyer, SVP of Market Strategies, Beeline

“2022 is going to bring more of the same things that we saw in 2021 and that is (at least mostly!) a good thing. The extended workforce will continue to grow in importance to companies of all types and talent shortages will likely get even worse. Taken together those two things will push companies to look to expand the markets and places they find talent in, continue to reinforce the intersection of quality, time-to-fill, and cost (rather than a myopic focus on just cost savings), and underscore the importance of talent diversity (and related initiatives like upskilling and giving people second chances). Companies need to ensure that their extended workforce programs consider all of these things and that they set goals that are directly tied to company strategy.”

Neha Goel, VP of Marketing, Utmost

“Extended workforce systems must be worker-centric, making it easy to take into account the various needs and preferences of the worker, allowing them to be mobilized in a scalable way. They also need to give workers and suppliers more control over their data and how they interact with technology, providing the flexibility and configurability necessary for them to get work done.”

“Flexibility comes in many forms, both in remote vs. office settings, and includes how workers set their schedules. If you aren’t actively listening to what your workforce wants and providing the technology that makes it possible to seamlessly engage and communicate with them in this new world, you will miss out.”

Saleem Khaja, COO and Co-Founder, WorkLLama

“While the usual priorities around cost optimization and DE&I will stay top of mind, there will be an increased focus on talent wellbeing and tools that will contribute towards that, e.g., tools that maximize efficiency while minimizing stress in the new way of doing work, tools that predict outcomes towards achieving this objective both from a talent and organizational perspective, etc.”

Sunil Bagai, CEO, Prosperix

“I predict that there will be some banner acquisitions for talent and workforce solutions in 2022. I also expect that some of the big investments that have happened this year in startups will go bust. The technologies that I expect will gain momentum are ones that tackle the end-to-end lifecycle of hiring, facilitate hybrid work, and infuse blockchain for transparency, faster outcomes and automation.

“What 2021 showed is that there is a huge appetite for talent and workforce solutions. 2022 will carry forward that same momentum into new offerings, investments and acquisitions. The areas to keep an eye out on are consolidation of marketplaces, enterprise solutions that combine direct sourcing, VMS and ATS together, and an infusion of blockchain technology for facilitating frictionless transactions.”

Allison Robinson, Co-Founder and CEO, The Mom Project

“By 2025, millennials will make up 75% of the workforce, and they are the most diverse in American history. If you aren’t actively creating a diverse and inclusive environment for future talent that is front and center in every aspect of your business and culture, you will miss out on this talent. Technology investment and digital transformations mean little without the commitment to a more diverse workforce behind them to drive results.”

“The end of 2021 marks a critical moment as talent – and moms specifically – re-enter the workforce, but they are not looking to go back to how it was before. They are looking to continue fueling progress with a more flexible, supportive and more human Future of Work.”

Wayne Crowley, SVP Talent Solutions RPO, Manpower Group

“We’ve realized a seismic shift in employment control away from employers to the talent these employers need. Rigidity in hiring processes, work location, compensation, and work schedules will severely limit employers’ choices for finding candidates with the skills they require. Employers of all sizes, brands, and industries should revisit their employee value propositions to make sure there is resonance with the talent they seek.”

Sam Bright, Chief Product & Experience Officer at Upwork

“We’ve seen monumental disruption occur in the workforce over the last two years. The Great Resignation has shown us that generations-old beliefs about the world of work have been upended. ‘Remote natives’ have become the norm, just as digital natives before them. Remote freelancing has become an essential part of the U.S. labor market and economy – contributing $1.3 trillion in 2021 alone – and we’ve seen firsthand how organizations effectively use marketplaces like Upwork to engage highly-skilled independent professionals to grow, scale and reinforce their teams.

“Our 2021 Freelance Forward report found that freelancing increased to the highest share of the labor force in the eight years that we’ve been surveying, and we see this continuing into 2022. Hybrid, distributed, flexible work models are the future of work. To succeed, business leaders must shift how they look at their workforce and create hybrid teams made up of full-time employees and independent professionals, so they can be appropriately resourced to charge ahead on their critical business initiatives, no matter how complex or tight the timeline is.”

Tammy Browning, President, KellyOCG

“Heading into 2022, a trend that we’re watching closely is employee experience. As the labor market tightens, building a comprehensive and positive employee experience is critical for greater retention, productivity, and engagement and translates to better business results. Organizations that want an edge on their competition and are driven to succeed in the war for talent are focused on employee experience. In fact, our research finds 91% of leading companies say that improving the employee experience is as high a business priority as improving the customer experience.”

“We expect 2022 will bring a greater need for organizations to adopt a single robust talent management platform. According to our research, 72% of executives say they should adopt a talent management platform and use predictive analytics to determine future talent needs, but less than a third are using technologies to achieve these goals. As more employers embrace all forms of talent, hiring managers will require a tool that provides a complete view of their contingent and third-party workforce as well as relevant workforce analytics to make strategic decisions about future workforce needs.”

Matt Pietsch, Chief Strategy Officer, High5

“Organizations need to be ready to embrace managed direct sourcing by forming strategic partnerships, not simple vendor or supplier relationships, with partners that can execute on a strategy that incorporates People, Processes and Technology in order to win the war for talent.”

“Work with a workforce solution company that understands the importance of leveraging your brand and working as a seamless extension of your talent acquisition program, regardless if it is full-time, contingent, EOR/payroll, etc. This is one way to ensure an effective candidate experience and a much more efficient recruitment program.”

Taylor Ramchandani, Vice President of Strategy, VectorVMS

“In 2022 I believe that the candidate experience for the contingent workforce is going to be paramount. With the power sitting with the worker, regardless of employment determination, organizations need to prioritize being a desirable place to work. The need for a positive candidate experience will drive greater adoption of direct sourcing platforms, diversity initiatives across the workforce, learning opportunities and more for the extended workforce.”

Jenna Dobbins, VP, Human Resources at Pontoon Solutions

Prioritize the value of employee wellness. “For talent providers like Pontoon and our customers, worker wellbeing will be a core tenant in 2022. Talent attraction and retention will be directly correlated with how workers are cared for and how employers meet their needs. We all have a responsibility to put mental health, wellbeing, and inclusivity above all else.”

Cultivate an ecosystem of talent sustainability. “At Pontoon, we have put a focus on employee learning and development in 2021. Our continuous learning culture has resulted in over 78,340 learning hours completed across our colleague population this year. In 2022, we have challenged ourselves to break this record as we continue to upskill our colleagues across Pontoon.”

What Did We Learn About the Future of Work in 2021?

Business Leadership Talent by Christopher J. Dwyer on 12/20/2021

I’m sure that the end of any year, not just 2021, warrants some level of deep reflection. However, the year that we just collectively experienced certainly calls for some retrospective insight, doesn’t it? 2021 marked the second full year of the worst public health crisis of our lifetimes and along with it, many transformations in how we all viewed both our personal and professional lives. From the business perspective, 2021 brought a host of talent-, technology-, and forward-thinking-led shifts that have forever altered the way we conduct business. Here’s what we learned:

No matter how rooted a business leader is to pre-pandemic times, remote and hybrid work are now foundational facets of the working world. Unified communication tools, better collaboration between leaders and their staff, and the general shift towards “flexibility” are all attributes of the new world of work.
Call it “The Great Resignation” or the “The Big Quit,” but what’s really happening is a true revolution of talent. The “talent revolution” is occurring all around us, with millions of talented professional voluntarily leaving positions in search of better working conditions, more flexibility, more empathy from leadership, more inclusive workplace culture, and, of course, better pay. The talent revolution is a stark reminder that leaders must reimagine talent engagement and talent acquisition if they are to thrive in the new year.
The extended workforce drives the Future of Work. Nearly 47% of all talent today is considered part of the extended workforce, a 10% leap from where it was at the every beginning of the pandemic. It’s not just a matter of tapping into the “evolution” of contingent labor, but rather truly robust communities of talent that take various shapes, including talent pools, talent marketplaces, niche staffing suppliers, personal and private talent networks, etc. Today’s extended workforce is a key element in how work gets done.
Empathy is a key Future of Work attribute. Leaders have to be in tune with the “human” side of its staff, as workers across the globe face personal and professional challenges that continue to eat into their thinned patience after 20+ months of pandemic ramifications (including severely ill relatives, lack of daycare, remote schooling, facing COVID themselves, etc.). Empathy-led leadership is, essentially, the only way forward.
Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) aren’t just buzzwords, but rather truly impactful pieces of the Future of Work movement. Let’s say it again: a diverse talent pool is the deepest talent pool. Bringing in diverse talent sparks innovation by bringing in new voices to the table, including talent from various genders, cultures, and nuero-diverse backgrounds.
Direct sourcing has become a transformational means of finding, engaging, and retaining top-tier talent. By the end of 2022, nearly 30%-to-32% of all talent will be engaged and acquired via direct sourcing, according to Future of Work Exchange research. Direct sourcing isn’t just a way to segment “known” talent into talent pools, but rather a strategy, program, and set of automated tools to develop true talent sustainability via recruitment marketing, leveraging the power of enterprise branding and culture, and cultivating deeper relationships with candidates.
Services procurement strategy is due for an overhaul. Collaboration, rather than control, is the Best-in-Class way to enhancing management of an extended workforce category that sometimes (or, often) dwarfs traditional staff aug from a spend perspective. Procurement executives must reevaluate how they approach SOW management and services procurement in 2022.
Talent communities will be more critical than ever in 2022. As we wrote recently: “The power of talent communities is driven by the innovative ways businesses are leveraging talent pools, talent networks, and talent clouds, converging with the nuances of the employer brand, social and emotional connections with both active and passive candidates, the the ultimate development of omnichannel, experience-driven candidate engagement.”
Business leadership needs to change its mindset heading into a new year. The talent revolution, combined with the pressure of a new coronavirus variant in a globalized yet disruptive world, means that leaders and executive personnel cannot go into 2022 with archaic strategies for managing operations and staff. Whether it entails “reimagining” or “rebooting” core leadership strategies, aspects such as inclusion (i.e., inclusive workplace environments), flexibility, agility, and a better understanding of employee emotional wellbeing (yes, including empathy!) are all necessary moving forward.
Technology is often considered central to the Future of Work movement, and 2022 proved that many times over. From digital staffing and direct sourcing to artificial intelligence and blockchain, the pathways of technological innovation all lead back into the very idea of work optimization.